So Many Bikes- So Little Time (And $$$!)

It's Winter, it's cold, and you may be sick like me right now and can not ride much, or at all. Well, whattya gonna do? Dream about bikes, look at bikes, and check out the webz for more new bikes. Here are a few things I found interesting for various reasons.....

Black Mountain Cycles Cross: US Made?

It was announced yesterday that Black Mountain Cycles is going to try to do a run of U.S. made frame sets of the "cross" variety. They will be made in San Francisco of True Temper tubing and in a very limited number.

Although the geometry numbers are supposed to be the same as the current "monster cross" frame and fork, (like mine shown here), the tire clearances will be slightly limited from the amount seen on the Taiwanese frames. Still, the claim is that 43mm tires will clear, which is plenty big enough for gravel riding.

If that sounds good to you, and a U.S. sourced and built frame ticks your boxes, prepare to pony up about 1600 big ones and contact Black Mountain Cycles soon. I've really been happy with the one I bought from BMC and it does what I need it to very well. I imagine the U.S. built frame will feel differently, but handling should be right in the ball park with mine and it handles really well on gravel.

Ed Oxley stands proud....

On One Surprises: 

The next thing that popped onto the radar yesterday was a modified single pivot full suspension device with an On One brand on the downtube.


What? On One to make a full susser?

Apparently. This bike is a prototype and has been dubbed the "Codeine". Through a screed of Twitter babble between On One designer Brant Richards, his test rider/mate Ed Oxley, and other U.K. Tweeters/Facebookers, I read that the bike has a 128mm rear travel and is fit for front forks in the 140mm-160mm (???!!!) range.

The bike's designer, Brant Richrads, was said to have been medicated on Codeine when he designed the bike, thus the name. Hmmmm.....well, whatever, a name is a name. According to more sleuthing I did, I found that the prototype is said to have 440mm chain stay length and a 67 degree head angle. The proto is said to be fitted with a DSP Dueler rear shock. Estimate on availability? Folks connected to this are saying about a year or so.

I think it is an interesting specimen from the standpoint that it isn't a 27.5" wheeled bike, (which Mr. Richards has said he doesn't care for in the past), and that it has different travel front to rear. However it goes, this was a surprise find yesterday.

Johnny Mole design

But Is It UCI Certified?

This "artsy-fartsy" rig was making the rounds yesterday as well. I'm not really a roadie, so take the following with a grain of salt...

This wasn't very impressive to me. In fact, haven't I seen something like this before, only better? Let me think.....how about a Look 596 track bike, or how about that Factor Superbike? Maybe the Specialized McLaren? Or about any triathlon/time trial rig these days. Meh!

And this thing won a design award already. Good luck with that. I'm sure it will go a long way in making this design something we start knocking down doors for. Now- I know it has some cool storage "tech boxes" and that the frame has a single structural element running from the stem to the rear drop out. Big deal.

It is about as appealing to me as a bicycle as living in a stark white room with one plastic chair would be. Meaning: it isn't appealing at all to me as something I would want to ride. As art, or an architectural element, or just an interesting shape? Yeah.....it works for me on that level. Maybe you dig it? That's cool. I think it looks like it was designed to be a PlaySkool toy, but that's just me, maybe.

And that's what I was looking at yesterday in the world of bicycles......